For some reason Gravity is being billed as a sci-fi movie. It's not. There's no fiction here. Gravity is in fact a horror movie, and it's a masterpiece.
Believe the hype: “Gravity” is as jaw-droppingly spectacular as you’ve heard — magnificent from a technical perspective but also a marvel of controlled acting and precise tone.
George Clooney and Sandra Bullock in space — floating, tumbling, hurtling, clinging to each other for life — is just a mind-bogglingly impressive thing. We forget that these are A-list stars and become totally immersed in their characters’ struggle to survive.
If there’s an IMAX theater near you, get there. If there isn’t an IMAX theater, hop in your car and drive to one. I saw it in plain-old 3-D and was blown away — I can’t even imagine how much more mesmerizing it would have been in IMAX.
“Gravity” does everything right in ways that are both big and small. It’s beautiful and horrifying, detailed yet enormous, specific yet universally relatable. Yes, it’s about how space can be a wondrous and unforgiving place but it’s also about earthly human truths: love and loss, perseverance and redemption.
You’re sure to find yourself reacting viscerally in some way, perhaps in many ways. so moved was I by the awesomeness of the images, then by the intimate, dreamlike way in which these two characters reveal themselves to each other, and ultimately by the sheer force of will in the face of impossible peril. But “Gravity” is primarily an incredibly intense experience: 90 minutes of tight jaw, crossed legs and clenched fists.
There is a scene in Gravity where the camera pans around two astronauts in space for 15 minutes in one single continuous take, then goes inside the helmet of an astronaut, swirls around showing the suit’s UI, and seamlessly pops out of the helmet. It’s at that moment where you realise that in space no one can hear you scream but everyone in the movie theatre can hear you shout daayuummmnn.
There are no aliens here, but a very real, intelligent disaster. Think 127 Hours in space, but significantly more visceral, moving and immersive. Miraculously, it’s also 3D done right — it really is an astonishing cinematic achievement and it’s the only film I’d watch once again on a 3D IMAX screen. It’s also the only film whose filming techniques would be as interesting to watch as the film itself.
So what’s different in Gravity given that there have been other films about astronauts stranded in space? The detailing, the digital effects work and the long, uncut takes will divorce your jaw from the rest of your face. It’s not just one of the great CGI films of the decade but one of the five greatest uses of CGI in the history of cinema.
There are some scientific fallacies in Gravity but laws of science can’t be questioned anymore seeing as Sandra Bullock broke them — she probably went around the space time continuum and aged backwards, because she looks 30 despite being 50.
Regardless, all flaws of Gravity become infinitely smaller the bigger the screen. If this movie makes money, it’d have the potential for Hollywood to invest a bit more into smart original movies than shameless 3D cash grabs. If you’re interested in that kind of a future, you should buy your tickets right about now.
LIFE IN SPACE IS IMPOSSIBLE
My Rating - 9.5/10
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